Display-counter.



' No. 717,870. PATENTEDJAN.6,1903.

.1. N. LANDAUER.

DISPLAY COUNTER.

' .4 1902. APPLICATION FILED APR 2 SHEBTFSHEET 1.

K0 MODEL.

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' No. 717,870. 7 PATENTED JAN. 6; 1903.

I. N. .LANDAUBR.

DISPLAY COUNTER.

' .4 1902; APPLICATION FILED APR 2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR 5- WHNESSES. *1" -=W 7 By Aflomeys,

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UNITE Saree ATENT @FFICEL ISIDQR N. LANDAUER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT A. STOLLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISPLAY-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,870, dated January 1903. Application filed April (l, 1902. Serial No. 101,319. (No model.)

1'0 ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Isrnon N; LANDAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, couuty,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display-Counters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide certain improvements in counters such as are com- IO monly used for displaying goods for sale or for similar purposes and by means of which the goods are ordinarily kept Well covered and protected from dust and'are easily accessible for removal or closer inspection.

My invention provides also a counter of this general type which is very compact and simple in construction and attractive in appearance.

My invention provides also a counter havzo ing various other advantages, specified in detail hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating counters embodying my invention, Figure 1 is a transverse section. Fig. 2

is a front elevation, partly in section, on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3is a plan omitting the cover and tray. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the pivotal point of the cover. Fig. 5 is a plan similar to Fig. 3, but showing the tray and cover in place. Fig. 6 is an end view showing a slightly-varied form of the invention. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

My improved counter has several distinct features of advantage over those now in general use. Oompactness is secured by arranginga cover so that it maybe moved above the goods to cover thesame or below the goods to uncover them and display them. By these means the counter occupies practically no more space when open than when closed. The goods will usuallybe displayed on a tray, which may be any device adapted for receiving the goods and which may be a fixed part of the counter or may be entirely separable therefrom. I preferably provide a tray attached to the main supporting-frame of the counter and adapted to be adjusted to vary its angle of inclination. J i I Preferably the supporting-frame of my counter comprisesa front bar, from which the tray is supported, and end bars to which the cover is pivoted, the cover extending at its front edge to such front bar and at its rear edge beyond the rear edge of the tray, so that by lifting it at the front it swings downward at the rear and to any desired distance partially or entirely below the tray.

Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention shown comprises a support- .60 ing-frame, which I designate as a whole by the letter A, a cover, which I designate as a whole by the letter B, and a tray carried upon the support. This tray may, in fact, be any part of or attachment to the support and adapted to receive the goods to be displayed.

In the form of the invention illustrated a special tray 0 is provided, which is adj ustably mounted on the frame, as hereinafter explained. The cover B may be of any suitable material; but it is preferably provided with glass panes at the top and ends for permitting inspection of the goods without removing the cover. It is preferably, also, cylindrical in shape, comprising substantially a half-cylinder, and is pivoted on a horizontal axis, so as to rotate around the tray to a point below the same and entirely out of the way, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Handles D are provided on the front edge of the cover for lifting this edge. As soon as the cover is started turning it is unbalanced and continues to move downward until stopped. A spring-stop-such, for example,

as the leaf-spring Eis preferably provided, attached to the front bar F of the frame.

The frame may be made in any number of sections each having a separate cover, as shown, for example, in Fig. 2 atBB, orthere may be a single cover for an entire frame. The frame or each section of the frame comprises a front bar F and end bars G G and preferably, also, a rear bar H, spaced a suitable distance from the rear edge of the tray to permit the cover to swing between the bar 5 and the tray. (See Fig. 1.) The construction of these bars is not material to the invention, but theyare preferably composed each of a vertical portion for giving the necessary strength and a horizontal top portion for giving the desired width at the top of the frame. The side and end bars may be supported in any suitable manner which does not interfere with the operation of the device, preferably by legs J, carrying the bars at a suitable height above the floor and braced at their lower ends by suitable cross-braces and by a shelf or floor K, which serves to receive goods which do not require to be covered or to be so well displayed as those at the top of the counter. The cover in the closed position rests with its front edge L upon the front bar F and with its rear edge M approximately on a level with the top of the rear bar G, so asto appear to rest flatly on the frame. The cover is preferably supported by being pivoted on the inner face of the end bars of the frame G G, the construction in detail being best shown in Fig. 4. A pin or trunnion N is screwed into a block 0, which is fastened to and forms substantiallyaportion of the end bar G of the frame, and the end bar P of the cover B swings on such trunnion, this end bar being preferably provided with a downward extension Q, Fig. 1, for this purpose. It is desirable also to provide means for holding the cover in its upper position, because a very slight force is suflicient to turn it to the open position. For this purpose I may provide an impositive lock-as, for example, a'bolt R, Fig. 2in the end bar G of the frame and which is pressed outwardly by a spring S, so thatit engages a depression in the end bar P of the cover, preferably formed by an apertured plate T, fastened thereon at a suitable point. The end of the bolt is rounded, so that bya sufficient pull upward on the handles D the bolt is pressed back against its spring S to permit the lifting of the front of the cover, and so that as the cover is closed the bolt is again pressed back until it is in position opposite the depression in the end bar, when it springs into place and locks the same.

I may provide means for holding the cover at any desired angle-as, for example, at the angle shown by dotted line in Fig. 6. This feature is of especial value where it is not desired to uncover the goods entirely. This form of the invention is useful where valuable goods, such as jewels, are to be-displayed. A device for this purpose may be substantially a modification of the lock above described and may, infact, serve the purpose of locking the cover either in the closed position or in anyone of several open positions. Figs. 6 and 7show such a construction. Risa bolt in the end bar Gof the frame and pressed outwardly by a spring S and adapted to enter any one of a series of depressions or holes U in a plate T, which is fastened to the end bar P of the cover, as by means of screws V. The bolt in this case may be made in any suitable or known form, and in any case it may be provided with a rod extending through the frame and projecting outward, as at W, so that the operator may pull it back into its socket in the frame to allow free movement of the cover.

As stated before, any part of the counter upon which goods can be carried may be considered a tray; but I preferably provide a special tray for this purpose, and preferably, also, I connect it to the frame. A suitable construction for this purpose is shown, in which cross-bars X are connected to and project from the front bar F of the frame, these cross-bars being of a length sufficient to avoid interference with the movement of the cover and being preferably connected at their unsupported ends by an auxiliary bar Y, Figs. 1 and 3. The tray, such as shown at O, is pivoted, preferably, by a hinge Z, connected to the front bar F of the frame and to the front edge of the tray, so that its rear edge may be raised to give it any desired inclinanation. The tray is supported from the crossbars X, preferably, by means of a supporting-rod at, extending up from the cross-bar and adapted to be moved up and down and clamped at any desired point by means of a thumb-nut 1), operating on the shank of a sleeve 0, through which the rod a passes. The tray 0 is preferably made somewhat less wide than the distance between the opposite side bars F and ll of the frame, so as to permit the movement of the cover and so as also to permit a desired extent of upward movement of the rear edge of the tray Without in terfering with the cover. The tray might, however, be mounted in any other suitable way without departure from the invention.

It is important to avoid as far as possible access of dust to the goods on'the counter, and for this purpose I may provide my improved counter with dust-packings between adjacent portions of the tray and cover, which packings substantially prevent dust getting on the goods when the cover is closed, but which do not cause any appreciable resistance to the movement of the cover. For example, I may employ a strip of felt or similar packing material d, Figs. 4 and 5, upon the ends of the tray 0 and closing the crack between the end of the tray and the end bar P of the cover when the latter is closed. I may employ also a strip of felt or the like 6, Figs. 1 and 5, attached to the rear edge of the tray and preferably extending below the same and attached at the bottom to the auxiliary bar Y, connecting the crossbars X. This strip 6 may entirely close the crack between the tray and the cover in all positions of adjustment of the tray and serve to prevent any substantial admission of dust from below to the goods on the tray. I may, however, if desired,add a stripf, of felt, of the shape shown to the inside of the rear edge ofthe cover, so as to make a dust-proof contact with the strip 6 or with the rear edge of the tray.

It will be seen that my invention provides a counter which is adapted to a variety of purposes, which is simple in construction and not liable to get out of order, which is easy to manipulate, which requires substantially no more space when the goods are uncovered than when they are covered, and which keeps and shows the goods in attractive condition, and which can, moreover, be variously adjusted to adapt it for difierent needs.

ThoughIhave described with great particularity of detail certain counters embodying my invention, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular constructions illustrated and described. Various forms of the invention may be devised and various changes may be made in the details and in the construction and arrangement of the several partswithout departure from the invention. For example, I may increase the security against the entrance of dust by providing the front edge L of the cover with a downwardly-projecting tongue g, entering a corresponding groove 72 in the upper face of the front bar F of the frame, or I may use a packing of felt at this point. It is, obvious also that I may lock the cover on the frame by any suitable means, such as an ordinary desk-lock.

What I claim isy 1. In a display-counter, the combination of a frame comprising front and end bars, means for supporting a tray from said frame, and a cover for said tray pivoted to said end bars and adapted to swing above or below said tray.

2. In a display-counter, the combination of a frame comprising front, rear and end bars, means for supporting a tray from said frame, and a cover for said tray pivoted to said end bars and adapted to swing within said rear and end bars to positions above or below said tray.

3. Ina display-counter, the combination of a frame comprising a front bar and end bars, cross-bars connected at one end to said front bar, and a cover pivoted to said end bars and extending beyond the free ends of said crossbars.

4. In a display-counter, the combination of a supporting-frame comprising front, rear and end bars, cross-bars connected at one end to said front bar and separated at their rear ends from said rear bar, and a cover pivoted to said end bars and adapted to swing between said rear bar and the rear ends of said cross-bars.

5. In a disp1aycounter, the combination of a supporting-frame comprising front, rear and end bars, cross-bars connected at one end to said front bar and separated at their rear ends from said rear bar, and a cover pivoted to said end bars and adapted to swing between said rear bar and the rear end of said cross-bars, the front edge of said cover resting on said front bar when in the closed position. I

6. In a display-counter, the combination of means for supporting a tray, a cover arranged to rotate around said tray, and means for holdingsaid cover at any desired angle.

7. In a display-counter, the combination of means for supporting a tray, a cover therefor arranged to rotate around said tray to cover or uncover the same,a spring-latch for holding the cover at any desired angle, and means for withdrawing said latch to permit move ment of said cover.

8. In a display-counter, the combination of a frame, means for supporting a tray at the upper. portion of said frame, a cover therefor arranged to rotate around said tray to cover or uncover the same, and a tray or shelf Kat the base of said frame for bracing the same and for receiving additional goods.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISIDOR N. LANDAUER. Witnesses: HENRY A. CHRISTE, RoBr. G. SJosTRoM. 

